Farm gate



March 13, 1928.

' M. G. MCCORKEL ET AL FARMy GATE Filed Oct. 2 5. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet.. l

nm. x v S Q March 13, 1928.

M. G. MCCORKEL ET AL FARM GATE 2 Sneet-'Shset 2 Filed Oct. 2 5.v 1926 Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

. y 1,662,318] UNITED s'raTiazsy PATENT oFi-ic/r..

Mannini: G. MceoRKnL AND rnovn L. Meconxnr.. or wAsHTA, row;

FARM GATE.

Application led Uctober 25, 1926. Serial No. 143,939.

Our invention relates to a farm gate, especially adapted for farm use and 1t 1s 'my object to provide a gate of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction which may be operated from a distance.

More particularly, it is our object to provide such a gate which may be operated from either side by one of two operating cables, either one of which, when pulled, will swing the gate to closed position if it is. standing open or will swing it to open position ifit is standing closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gate of the type adapted to swing into the air on a horizontal axis andwhichinay be so controlled by a single operating cable at either side of the gate.

Another object oiE the invention is to provide av gate having an operating cable veX- tending longitudinally, thereof, the cable being so protected that stock can not accidentally unlatch the gate.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a gate which is so balanced that very little force is required to operate it, and which is substantially balanced at all positions within its range of swing. l

W'ith these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of our device, whereby the objects con# templated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: f y

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the gate, its open position being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a detail, sectional view'through thel upper `portion free end of the gate proper, illustrating the latch.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the posts between` which thegate proper is pivoted, the upper rail of the gate being shown in section. Fig. f1 is a sectional view taken as indi cated by the line 4.-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail, sectional view taken onthe line'5-5 of Fig.` 1.

We have used the reference characters 10 -and 11 to indicate a pair of posts between which the gate proper is pivoted andthe numeral` 12 `to indicate a post defining the other limit of a gateway, formed in a fence 13, secured to the posts v12 and 11 respecl tively. The gate proper includes the end members 14 and 15 connected in any suitable manner such as by the rails 16 and: 17, and

covered with wire netting or the like 16. The upper rail of the gate is formed of a length of metal tubing or the like 17, which may be square or round, and which serves as a protective casing for that portion ofthe operating cable which spans the gateway.

The netting 16a is secured to one end of the gate and at the other end of thegate it is secured .to a `bar 16b which in turn is adjustably secured to the end member 14: by

eye bolts lextending through the member between the posts `10 and 11 and to insure its smooth operation in a single plane.y

At its free end, the gate is provided with a latch comprising a strip of spring met-al 20, secured to the end member 14 of the gate, extending upwardly, as at 21, and away from the gate in its normal position and bent inwardly at its upper end whence 1t is received in the tubular rail 17.

`A keeper having the horizontal portion 22 to receive the latch 20,.and having the in`- clined portion 28, is secured to the post 12.

`It will now be seen that as the gate is swung from its open position to its closed position, the inclined portions of the keeper and latch will vengage each other to force the latch into a retracted position as shown in dotted lines at 24 in Fig. 2.

It may be mentioned at this point that the purpose is to so, balance thegate, by means of a counter-weight, that it will normally tend'to swing upwardly so that when the `latch is simply released, the gate will open automatically.' The coiinter-balancing gradually decrease as the gate is swung upwardly, and will become zero before the gateV has reached a position where balances itself upon a pivot. f

It will benoted that when the gate is in its raised position, its weight lies entirely `behind the pivot 18, whereas .in its vclosed position, it lies entirely forward of the pivot.

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There is, zueording'ljl', a position hetween these two positions in whiell the lgate will he balanced upon its pivot. It is desirable that the torce exerted against the gate in lilting it7 be greatest at the beginning' ot the upward swiner and that the nloulentuln ol" the gate as it swings npnnrdljly he nlerely suilieient to Carry it past the position inst mentioned ill which its weight would be halanced. Alter passing this illt'ern'lediate. po- Sition, the gate will swing' to its upright. position, under the urge ot its own ll'eight.

In order to eounter-balanee the weight, we have experimented with attaehing the weight direetllv to the frate but tind that in order to do the arln which carries the Counter-weight. illust extend upwardly, and that eonserplentljlv the greatest leverage ot the (:olliltel'-ll'eigllt will not lle obtained until the gate has reached a eonsiderabllY elevated position.

n order. there'l'ore7 lo obtain the greatest leverage at the beginning ot the swing, we provide a rouliterllalaueing nleellanisnl including a llalauee lel'er E25 pivoted at Qt'l upon a. post 2 and tllerehlv divided into an arm extending over the gate proper in the plane ot the gratie and an a rui extendingr troni the other direetion. and provided with a Counter-weight (lll. The :lrul which extends over the gate is connected thereto by a cable QQ.

It will now be seen that', the weight Q8 being ot sueh size, and at the proper distant-e troni the pivot Qt'l as to gil an excess of leverage over the Combined weights ot the gate and the arnl above it, that the arln 25 will he maintained constantly in a lixed position as shown ill Fig'. l with the eallle 29 taut, while the gate l? is closed. The lever :25 is positioned horizontally and parallel to the `gate proper. Consequently, the greatest leverage. will be exerted at the lleginnine' of the swing when the gate is re leased. The eallle Q9 is ot suell length that the lever Qa will approach a vert-ical position laster than the `gate proper. lVhen the, gate. has neared the intermediate balanced position, the cable 29 will no longer exert a pull against the gate, the lever having attained its vertical position and the eahle havingr beeonle slack.

Vile provide a spring 45 which is secured to the gate atI its upper corner and to the post 2'? at such a height that after gate has passed its intermediate halaneed position and llegins to swiner rearwardly under the urge of its own weight, it will herfoine taut and inoreasinglly oppose the swing ot the gate to ward the, post 27. Thus the gate will move to its vertical position slowly and will not be Suddenly stopped with a jar, as would be the ease if it were allowed to strike the post 27.

It will be seen that in moving the gate back toward its closed position. the counterweight will not hare to be lifted in addition to the gate, and will not oppose the downn ward swing ot' the gate until alter the gate has again passed the illterlllediate llalaneed position and will then retard the downward swing ol the gate increasingly, as the gate nears its closed position and tends; to gain nlonlentunl under the urge ol its own weight. ily :zo arranging the connter-weight and the grate in their relation to eaell other, we lind it;

possible to use a single operating eallle for swinging the gate in either direction. `The operating (fable il() is attached to the end of the btlri/.ontal portion il ot the latch, extends` through the tubular rai] li', and is divided at the other end ol' the rail into two pull cables ill, which extend around pulleys 2li! on the posts lll and ll respeet'il'elpl' and thence upll'ardly as at` il?, to pulleys -"l, .suspending troni a pair ol" brackets ll extending upwardly.' and out wardl): 'from the posts l() and ll. ill a` plane perpendieular lo the plane ot the t'enee. rl`lle llrarliels Il?) are supported by llraeeel lt'l.

This is an inlportant advantage ill that were the eallle. exposed, the latell might be released b r the accidental engagement ot the eallle by all animal rubbingr against the gate.

lt will now be seen that when the gate ia in closed position and either of the pull eahles 3l is pulled upon.y that the latell 2t) will lle released to allow the grate to swiner upwardly as hereinbetore dtllserilled. As tlle gate approaches its raised position` the eallles 3l will be drawn with it toward positions as indieated hy the. dotted line.'`l at 3S. extendilrer rearwardly and dollnwardly7 tl'oln the pulleys 32 to the rear point of the gate. lllllen it is desired to close the gate. either ot the cables is again pulled and will serve this time to move the gate past its intermediate balanced position in a Closing direction.

lt will he understood that in closing the gate, the operating eahle will he pulled "with snttieient force to gire the gate momentum to swing past the interlllediate position, since after itl has passed this position, the operatine' cable can no longer assist. the gate in its downward swing against the retardinpr ac tion of the eounter-balanee. Sufficient n'lolnentunl illust therefore he given thel gate to eause its downward swingr to the point where the latch will retain the gate in closed posi tion. lt will he understood that the balance of weight of the eounte1-ll'eigllt is sullieient ly small that it takes very little pull to transmit the requisite energy for swinging' the lgate to closed position.

This excess weight may he adjusted, the eounterweight 28 heine in the forro o'f a hollow cylinder provided with a central stand 39, threaded into a. loek 40 in thoend lltl Illu

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` feet from the fence without being hindered by the brackets 35, which at a distance of six feet away from the fence are approximately ve feet in height. y f

Some changes may be made in the iconstruction and arrangement of the parts of our invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their Scope.

We claim as our invention 1. In a gate, a gateway, a gate proper pivoted at a lower corner in the gateway for swinging movement in a vertical plane from a horizontal to a vertical position, the weight of the gate tendin to urge it toward either of said positions rom an intermediate balanced position, a keeper on the gateway, a co-acting latch on the gate proper adapted to engage the keeper automatically upon downward movement of the gate proper to closed position, the upper member of the gate proper being tubular and provided with a laterally curved guide element at its end opposite the latch, a cable secured to the latch extending through said upper member, thence around said guide ele-` ment, thence laterally around a guide element secured to the gateway adjacent said upper member, thence upwardly and outwardly and over a guide element supported at a. distance from the direction. y

2. In a gate, a gateway, a ate proper pivoted at a lower corner in tie gateway for swinging movement in a vertical plane, from a horizontal to a vertical position, the weight of the gate tending to urge it toward either of said positions from an intermediate balanced position, and means to overbalance gateway in a lateral the weight of the gate in all positions from said horizontal position to a point near said intermediate position, said means including a post, a lever fulcrumed upon said post, in the plane of the gate and having an arm extending over the gate, a cable connecting .said arm with the gate, and a weight on the other end of the lever, the parts being so arranged that the cable will slack when said intermediate position ,is reached by the ate, said lever being tubular and provided with a threaded nut at one endand said weight being formed as a hollow sleeve provided with a vcentral threaded shank, threaded through said nut whereby to telescope the sleeve relative to the end of the lever.

Signed Sept. 27, 1926, at Sioux Cit in the county `of Woodbury, and State of owa.

FLOYD L. MCooRKEL. v MERRITT e. MCcoRKEL. 

